Let’s create a better internet together: Experiences of 3rd-grade students during Safer Internet Week Safer Internet Week is an annual reminder that the internet isn’t just entertainment for children—it has become a space where their social lives unfold. This year, KD International School of Vilnius joined the initiative, with 3rd-grade students exploring the topic alongside their teacher, Vesta Biliakevičienė. Reflecting on the activity, the teacher put it simply but insightfully: “We can have lessons beyond the textbook if we have a relevant topic we want to explore.” This approach explains why the class focused on “My Social Life Online”, which could naturally be connected to the broader idea of “how to navigate the online world safely and meaningfully.” Rather than a typical lesson about rules, it was an opportunity to map online behaviour through the children’s own experiences—engaging them, raising questions, and linking ideas to what they already know. The activity began with a discussion: “Internet – friend or foe?” Students drew on their personal experiences rather than what they “should” say. They asked questions about online communication, strangers, and uncomfortable situations, but one theme stood out: the internet can be a “foe” because it sometimes provides incorrect information. This opening showed that children already sense potential online risks; what they need is a safe space to voice these concerns and see that they can be discussed calmly in class. By the end of this stage, a shared understanding emerged: online behaviour should mirror real-life behaviour, but sometimes even greater caution is needed. Students explored reading, information gathering, and analysis, creating a foundation for responsible, thoughtful engagement in the digital world.
To provide clearer examples during the discussion, students watched an educational video on safe online behaviour (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kWU1UFy4MFs&list=PL7wh9jEfZvc7n3aOYRlld3RllD9scPBN). However, the video wasn’t watched all at once—it was paused regularly to discuss each scenario. At each pause, the class explored what was safe, what was risky, and how a person might have acted differently. This approach proved far more effective than simply listing rules, as it helped students recognise potential dangers when they were shown, rather than just described. By the end of this stage, students began to see that online safety isn’t just about prohibitions—it’s about everyday choices. New questions naturally emerged as students reflected and explored. Following the video, the discussion shifted to their own daily experiences: which social platforms they use, how they protect themselves, and their positive and negative experiences online. Questions arose naturally: can we trust what someone posts? How can we tell if information is true? What should we do if someone asks for personal details or photos? How should we respond to hurtful messages? It became clear that simply “knowing the rules” wasn’t enough—students needed to practice applying them and agree on strategies for real-life situations. This stage laid the groundwork for later activities, ensuring that decisions were guided by logic rather than guesswork. The practical part took place using the “Friendly Internet” platform, where the class answered questions collectively by voting and discussing each scenario. This meant that answers were not just marked individually, but arrived at as a group decision. For example, when asked about an online friend, Vėja, most students initially calculated that the friend was likely 12 years old, but some accurately noted, “We can’t really know for sure,” and the class agreed that the correct approach was to acknowledge uncertainty. When questions involved sharing surnames or phone numbers while registering on a website, students agreed that personal information should never be shared without adult supervision. In scenarios involving photos, students discussed whether the sender was a familiar friend or a stranger, and concluded that images should only be shared with family—and even then, only after verifying who is sending the request (some suggested a video call, since accounts could be impersonated). The discussions also highlighted differing opinions: regarding rules at friends’ houses, some argued that politeness and data safety should always apply, while others suggested longer screen time if parents permitted. On the issue of hurtful messages, the class initially split their opinions, but eventually agreed that engaging in bullying was never acceptable. This part of the activity showed that students were not only learning to answer questions, but also to reason and argue, which is often more valuable than the final score. Finally, when the test results were announced, students were genuinely pleased to have achieved full marks. Yet, the process itself was equally important—they had made decisions collaboratively, reflecting, presenting, and evaluating their own understanding.
At the end of the lesson, the class held a brief reflection session: students shared what they had learned, what surprised them, and how they plan to behave online in the future. In this way, the topic moved beyond the classroom and into their everyday choices. In the second lesson (technology class), the focus shifted to creative work. The teacher introduced the idea for the national competition “My Social Life Online”. Students formed groups of four, agreed on work criteria (planning, dividing tasks, including everyone, tidying up afterwards, helping to display posters), and created posters conveying key messages for the community. The posters clearly reflected the lessons students had taken from the discussions: safe and polite communication, asking for help when needed, respect for themselves and others, and responsible sharing of information. The final takeaway was simple but powerful: online safety begins with personal decisions—and those decisions are strongest when children think them through themselves, rather than just hearing rules from others.
